ConcertsLive

Apocalyptica @ Tavastia: Metallic manhood

23.9.2018 Tavastia Klubi, Helsinki, Finland

Three sold-out shows in a row at the famous Tavastia Club in Helsinki, that’s something… Well, my favorite string quartet Eicca Toppinen, Perttu Kivilaakso, Paavo Lötjönen and Antero Manninen had planned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their legendary debut album  “Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos” with about 20-30 shows within a few weeks. Turned out to be 170 shows in 20 months, 40 nations in front of about  450.000 fans… The official tour-wrap-up gig on Sunday filled the club so tightly that after shooting some photos  – GALLERY HERE –  you hardly managed to squeeze back into the concert hall.

The program as such was pretty clear, so the only question remained the Metallica song selection (see photo). The show began in a pretty civilized manner, all sitting nicely on chairs in front of a plain stage backdrop – just like the legendary CD cover. There was just a bit more action when soli were played. Then a break after 7-8 songs – I could finally find a better spot to watch the show –  and Mikko Sirén’s impressive drum kit was revealed. And then in the second part no more chairs and civilized manners, time for headbanging and cello-sawing until smokes emerges from the instrument (literally) …

During the show it was mostly Eicca acting as MC and entertaining us with anecdotes; e.g. that they had not expected to sell more than a 1000 of their debut CD back then, and that at that time they found “Battery” way too difficult to play as a cover. Well, now they can, which they proved impressively right afterwards…

At first I felt a bit annoyed that Antero was made fun of by his colleagues – he, the calm one who hardly ever shows any emotion or smile. This was his last gig with Apocalyptica – and in the past I had caught him sometimes with a tiny smile on his face, also at this gig (see pic above).

In the second part it was Perttu who chatted up the crowd, first inducing even more cheers with the announcement that those Tavastia shows are being recorded for a live CD. And then he confused everybody asking Antero whether he would like to receive a penis.

WHAAAT? How to interpret this question? Is it time for a Hashtag-WeMenToo movement?

Turned out it was a special gift for Antero to honor his many years of service in artistic destruction of celli, the “silver penis on a chain” (see arrow on pic, just snapped with my cell from the crowd, sorry).

That was enough to have the stoic Antero split his whole face in half with a huge grin. And the rest of the gig the smile on his face hardly ever disappeared…

Do I really have to mention that this gig was absolutely fantastic, even though it was the third in a row – I could not detect any signs of exhaustion on or in front of the stage. After the encores  Nothing Else Matters and One it was over… well, until the next gig with those Metal cellists, because Eicca promised us all that Apocalyptica will be back …

Klaudia Weber

reckless and merciless dictator, so KNEEL! In other words, editor-in-chief, translator, website and ad admin, "Jane of all trades" - - - addicted to books (everything between Lord Of The Rings & quantum physics) and music, mainly Metal made in Finland. Furthermore, there's painting, drawing, movies, theater... so you can expect some variety on this website too. MA Master of Arts, English and American studies & Media communication = completed two full studies parallel within 5 years; very proud of my achievement - a bit later in life thanks to a scholarship - as a working class girl in a highlyconservative-romancatholic nation...